Till is a Partner specialising in Art & Cultural Property. Till advises international private collectors, art dealers and auction houses, galleries and museums, as well as art investors and advisors, in relation to both contentious and non-contentious matters.This includes advice on buying, selling, lending, borrowing and loaning against artworks and collectibles, as well as resolving disputes over issues such as ownership, authenticity, attribution and condition of artworks and collectibles. His practice also extends to advice on moving art and collectibles across borders and handling insurance claims.
In addition, Till has built up a particular expertise in handling restitution claims to looted artworks. He regularly lectures at various Art Law forums and comments in the media on matters pertaining to Art and Cultural Property Law. Recent examples include panel discussions at Art Basel (on recent regulatory trends in the art market), at Christie’s London (on the 25th anniversary of the Washington Principles) and at the Centre Pompidou (Art Market Day), as well as lectures at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art and the Royal Academy, and interviews on the public broadcasters of Sweden and China, as well as in the Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph and Jewish Chronicle.
Till has been described in Chambers and Partners as having “in-depth expertise in art litigation, especially in connection with restitution cases.” “He is ready to go the extra mile and to think about the problem outside the box.” “He handles everything amazingly and is very efficient, proactive and a pleasure to work with. Clients are very happy with his work.” He has been described in Legal 500 as “the go-to lawyer for restitution cases. He handles any claims to WWII-related loot, colonial loot and any other applicable category of looted art claims with discretion and diplomacy.”
Prior to his career in the law, Till worked for several years as a Public Diplomacy Officer at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in London. During that time, he worked for three German ambassadors to the Court of St. James and advised the German Foreign Office on the latest political, economic and cultural developments in the UK.
Chambers UK Guide 2025 ranks Till Vere-Hodge as ‘Band 1’ for ‘Art & Cultural Property Law (UK-wide)’.
The Legal 500 UK 2025 ranks Till Vere-Hodge as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ for the ‘Private Client: Art and Cultural Property’ category.
Till is ranked as a Next Generation Partner in The Legal 500 UK 2024 for Art and Cultural Property. The directory recognises that Till covers “all areas of law relating to artworks, antiquities and collectibles, and has built up considerable expertise in resolving claims pertaining to looted artworks and antiquities” and that “clients include high-net-worth individuals, dealers, galleries and museums.” One commentator says, “Till Vere-Hodge is the star of the team, with his many years of experience in undertaking complex litigation and legal research” and “he is more approachable and customer focused than any of his market competitors, and his intelligence, humility and discretion are second to none.” Another comments “Till Vere-Hodge is a practitioner of exceptional knowledge and judgment” and “his breadth of expertise in matters related to the contemporary art market and its disputes, to questions of ownership and interaction between choices of law between the UK and Germany are unmatched.”
Ranked in Chambers HNW 2023, the law directory writes that Till is a noted expert in restitution cases and heads the art and luxury practice at the firm. He has been ranked in Chambers consistently since 2019, most recently in Band 2.
Comments in Chambers HNW:
“I am happy to recommend Till to our clients for any art-related questions. I think he particularly stands out for experience in dealing with claims relating to looted art.” Chambers HNW 2023
“I consider Till a highly qualified lawyer in a complex field such as art law. He also offers creative ideas in restitution claims.” Chambers HNW 2023
Ranked as “Up and Coming” in Chambers HNW 2022 with expertise in restitution cases.
Comments in Chambers HNW:
“He’s fantastic. He’s so experienced in Nazi looted cases. He really knows that area. He’s got a good head for regulation and policy. He’s got great commercial sense,” Chambers HNW 2022
“He is very competent in a technical field of law and is also pragmatic, approachable, available and proactive in communicating with the client.” Chambers HNW 2022
Ranked as a “Top Recommended Art Lawyer” in the Spear’s 500 2024 and Spear’s Art Lawyers Index 2024.
Recent Insights
November 06, 2024
Last week we had the honour of hosting the launch event for Dr Richard McClary’s latest book which...
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From Spoliated Art Restitution to Colonial Loot Repatriation
June 30, 2024
Our Art and Cultural Property Law specialist Till Vere-Hodge explored the challenges associated with...
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2024:
Speaking Arrangements:
Articles:
2023
Speaking engagement: Christie’s: Reflecting on Restitution – watch here:https://players.brightcove.net/6057940598001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6330508060112
Speaking engagement: Art and the Market: Examining the Intersections between Museums, Philanthropy, Commerce and the Law
Speaking engagement: Center for Truth and Justice – Second Annual International Conference – Panel VII – Cultural Heritage at Stake: How to Preserve, Mitigate Damage, and Punish Destruction
Article: The Times: Why Returning the Benin Bronzes is Complicated
Article: The Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2023 – Exhibit 4. Run Rabbit Run
Article: LexisNexisPSL: Shades of grey revisited — applicant’s appeal dismissed
2022
Article: A Survey of Global Collecting in 2022 – An Art Basel & UBS Report – Exhibit 2: The Regulatory Framework of the International Art Trade
Article: LexisNexisPSL: Shades of grey: expert opinion and works of art (Feilding (suing as trustees of the Wemyss Heirlooms Trust) v Simon Dickinson Ltd)
Article: TL4 Private Client Magazine: Around the World 2022 in 80 Days (or Less) (pp6-7)
2021
Article: The Art Newspaper: Is there loot lurking in your collection? Find out before someone else does
An evening with Till Vere-Hodge: Celebrating Dr. Richard P. McClary’s latest book launch on Islamic Art
November 06, 2024
Last week we had the honour of hosting the launch event for Dr Richard McClary’s latest book which...
Read more
From Spoliated Art Restitution to Colonial Loot Repatriation
June 30, 2024
Our Art and Cultural Property Law specialist Till Vere-Hodge explored the challenges associated with...
Read more
Art Basel 2024
July 01, 2024
On 13 June 2024, our Art and Cultural Property Law specialist Till Vere-Hodge spoke at Art B...
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Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report 2024
March 13, 2024
We are pleased that the 2024 Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report once more includes a pie...
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Buying art: the pitfalls and how to avoid them
October 16, 2023
Till Vere-Hodge, art and cultural property law specialist at Payne Hicks Beach describes the unexpe...
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The Art Trade & Financial Crime: A Snapshot of 2022
July 19, 2023
Like many areas of trade, the art market has become subject to increased regulatory scrutiny. Partne...
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The Regulatory Framework of the International Art Trade
November 04, 2022
Our Art and Cultural Property Law specialist Till Vere-Hodge contributed to the latest Art Base...
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Buying Artworks – What sort of risks do I need to be aware of?
July 26, 2022
What are artworks and cultural property objects?
The law has sought to define a “work of art” in...
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Art specialist hosts lectures at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art
May 16, 2022
Art and cultural property law specialist Till Vere-Hodge led a two-part lecture for the Sotheby̵...
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Art must be better protected during conflicts: Till Vere-Hodge writes for the Times
August 04, 2022
The war in Ukraine highlights the long-standing issues around the looting of art and cultural artefa...
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Art and cultural property law specialist Till Vere-Hodge quoted in the Jewish Chronicle on the state of restitution policy and practice
September 28, 2023
Till’s words provide historical context to the framework of so-called “moral claims” to ar...
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British Museum Relics Debate – Till Vere-Hodge interviewed on CGTN Europe
September 06, 2023
Art and Cultural Heritage Law specialist Till-Vere Hodge interviewed by presenter Jamie Owen on C...
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Till Vere-Hodge for Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report
April 20, 2023
Art and cultural heritage law expert Till Vere-Hodge writes for the 2023 Art Basel and UBS Global Ar...
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Oxford University urged not to repatriate Benin bronzes – Till Vere-Hodge for The Telegraph
April 17, 2023
Art and cultural heritage law expert Till Vere-Hodge features in The Telegraph article: ‘Oxford Un...
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